Banned Books Week: Children's and Young Adult

At New York City's Central Park Zoo, two male penguins fall in love and start a family by taking turns sitting on an abandoned egg until it hatches.

This picture book is an auspicious beginning to the Alyson Wonderland imprint, which focuses on books for and about the children of lesbian and gay parents.

A young boy grows to manhood and old age experiencing the love and generosity of a tree which gives to him without thought of return.

When Heather goes to playgroup, at first she feels bad because she has two mothers and no father, but then she learns that there are lots of different kinds of families and the most important thing is that all the people love each other.

From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl's brain in a boy's body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn't feel like herself in boys' clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way.

[LGBT] When the queen insists that the prince get married and take over as king, the search for a suitable mate does not turn out as expected.

Join newlyweds King Lee and King Bertie on their journey into the noisy jungle. As they float down a river, wild animal families turn out to greet them but the royal travelers suspect something more significant awaits them in the trees. The illustrious pair soon discover that there is no adventure more wonderful than starting a family.

Celebrate nature with Dr. Seuss and the Lorax in this classic picture book about protecting the environment! Dr. Seuss's beloved story teaches kids to speak up and stand up for those who can't. With a recycling-friendly "Go Green" message, The Lorax allows young readers to experience the beauty of the Truffula Trees and the danger of taking our earth for granted, all in a story that is timely, playful, and hopeful.

With words and illustrations even the youngest of children can understand, My Princess Boy tells the tale of a four-year-old boy who happily expresses his authentic self by dressing up in dresses, and enjoying traditional girl things such as jewelry and anything pink or sparkly. The book is from a mom's point of view, sharing both good and bad observations and experiences with friends and family, at school and in shopping stores.

On a rainy day, Sylvester finds a magic pebble that can make wishes come true. But when a lion frightens him on his way home, Sylvester makes a wish that brings unexpected results. How Sylvester is eventually reunited with his loving family and restored to his true self makes a story that is beautifully tender and filled with true magic. Illustrated with William Steig's glowing pictures, this is a modern classic beloved by children everywhere.

Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

This groundbreaking book, first published in 1982, is the story of two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings.

Lois Lowry's 1994 Newbery Medal-winning tale has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on Jonas who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.

Philip Pullman takes readers to a world where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach.

The House on Mango Street is the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes-sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous-Sandra Cisneros' masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery.

Providing accurate and up-to-date answers to nearly every imaginable sexual health question, from conception and puberty to birth control and AIDS, this trusted resource offers young people the information they need now more than ever; to make responsible decisions and stay healthy.

From New York Times bestselling author Shel Silverstein, the creator of the beloved poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, and Every Thing On It comes an imaginative book of poems and drawings--a favorite of Shel Silverstein fans young and old. A Light in the Attic delights with remarkable characters and hilariously profound poems in a collection readers will return to again and again.

The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant "wallflower" Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

The summer that Patty Bergen turns twelve is a summer that will haunt her forever. When her small hometown in Arkansas becomes the site of a camp housing German prisoners during World War II, Patty learns what it means to open her heart. Even though she's Jewish, she begins to see a prison escapee, Anton, not as a Nazi, but as a lonely, frightened young man with feelings not unlike her own.

A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg''s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.